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Chad Richardson

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Chad Richardson is the news director for RiverTown Multimedia. He was the publisher of four RiverTown publications until 2016, when he was named news director. He was previously general manager of the Farmington Independent and Rosemount Town Pages from 2000 to 2007. He worked at the Hastings Star Gazette from 1996 to 2000 as a photographer and reporter. He also worked as a photographer and writer at the Pope County Tribune in Glenwood.

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Living along the shores of the St. Croix River north of Hastings provides homeowners a chance to get up close and personal with all kinds of wildlife. But what one homeowner saw there Wednesday was anything but a welcome sight. In her back yard was an adult bald eagle, covered in snow and ice. It couldn't fly and needed help. The homeowner picked up her phone and called the Carpenter Nature Center down the road. She spoke to Jim Nielsen, a board member at the nature center, and told him about the eagle.

U.S. Rep. John Kline was in Hastings Friday to get informed on this year's predicted flood. Kline met with Dakota County Sheriff Dave Bellows, Dakota County Emergency Management Coordinator Dan Carlson, Washington County Sheriff Bill Hutton and two other county sheriffs at the Dakota County Government Center. Kline then traveled to east Hastings to get an up-close look at the Mississippi River, which is expected to hit its flood stage by Saturday, March 26. Kline represents Minnesota's 2nd District, which includes portions of south Washington County.

A man who had been featured on "America's Most Wanted" for killing his girlfriend in Florida two years ago was arrested Saturday at the Pleasant Hill Library in Hastings. Abraham Mpaka, 46, was arrested at the library and is being held at the Dakota County jail. Mpaka was featured on the "America's Most Wanted" television show three times. "America's Most Wanted" had this summary of his arrest on its website: An AMW tipster was surfing the web when she saw a story on AMW.com about our plans to profile accused killer Abraham Mpaka in our broadcast of March 12, 2011.

A man who had been featured on "America's Most Wanted" for killing his girlfriend in Florida two years ago was arrested Saturday at the Pleasant Hill Library in Hastings. Abraham Mpaka, 46, was arrested at the library and is being held at the Dakota County jail. Mpaka was featured on the "America's Most Wanted" television show three times. "America's Most Wanted" had this summary of his arrest on its website: An AMW tipster was surfing the web when she saw a story on AMW.com about our plans to profile accused killer Abraham Mpaka in our broadcast of March 12, 2011.

A man who had been featured on "America's Most Wanted" for killing his girlfriend in Florida two years ago was arrested Saturday at the Pleasant Hill Library in Hastings. Abraham Mpaka, 46, was arrested at the library and is being held at the Dakota County jail. Mpaka was featured on the "America's Most Wanted" television show three times. "America's Most Wanted" had this summary of his arrest on its website: An AMW tipster was surfing the web when she saw a story on AMW.com about our plans to profile accused killer Abraham Mpaka in our broadcast of March 12, 2011.

An 85-year-old Hastings man died tragically Thursday afternoon in an accident at a St. Paul recycling company. Jack McCoy was unloading cans from his truck at Alter Metal Recycling when an employee driving a skid loader accidentally backed into him. The accident occurred at about 1:40 p.m. McCoy was a World War II veteran who served with the Navy. He was married to Betty Rother and worked at the 3M plant in Cottage Grove for 39 years until retiring in 1986.

Roughly 50 employees at Smead Manufacturing's Hastings location will be out of work by March 18. The layoffs are a direct result of high unemployment, which has adversely affected Smead's sales. "It's no secret that unemployment remains exceedingly high," said Smead's vice president of marketing, Jim Riesterer. Smead makes products to help people stay organized - items that often find primary use in businesses. "Our level of sales is very much tied to the unemployment rate, as well as the overall economy," Riesterer said. Another factor is the level of competition Smead faces.

William Joseph Boldt, one of the suspects in Thursday's armed robbery at the AmericInn in Hastings, was found and arrested at about 12:30 a.m. Sunday. He was arrested in St. Paul without incident and later booked in the Dakota County Jail. Two other persons of interest in the case have beeen identified and are being sought for questioning, according to a press release issued by Hastings Police Chief Paul Schnell.

Two armed men robbed the night clerk at the AmericInn hotel in Hastings early Thursday morning. The robbery took place at about 1:30 a.m. Both men had guns. "They did get an undisclosed amount of money," Hastings Police Chief Paul Schnell said. "They then taped the night clerk, with Duct tape, to a chair.